Unattended burn pile escaped, burned about a half-acre

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news 

A burn pile that escaped Tuesday afternoon near Interstate 5’s Exit 6, the exit serving Mt. Ashland Ski Area and Callahan’s Mountain Lodge, was caught quickly and contained with nothing but “nuisance smoke” by evening, said Ashland Fire & Rescue Forest Officer Chris Chambers. 

In a text message, Chambers said the fire only reached a “half-acre or so,” before being contained by Fire District 5. 

According to emergency radio traffic, the escape happened when the pile was left unattended.

The Pulsepoint app showed a vegetation fire reported at 3:36 p.m. Tuesday was declared cleared at 5:49 p.m. Seven units from Fire District 5 responded. A phone call to Fire District 5 went to an answering machine Tuesday evening. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected].